The United States and Japan will step up their defence cooperation to deal with the threat from nuclear-armed North Korea as tensions in East Asia remain high, officials from the two allies said on Thursday.

Time almost up for dodgy training courses

Expensive training courses that lure in some of the nation's most vulnerable people with promises of a free iPad will soon have their registrations revoked.

Unscrupulous recruiters are approaching disabled, illiterate and international students with promises of a training course that boasts no up-front fees and a free computer gadget, a Senate hearing was told on Thursday.

However those who sign up often don't, or are unable to, read the fine print of the Registered Training Organisation's course.

In some cases they are slugged with a debt of more than $10,000 at the program's end.

At present the Australian Skills Quality Authority does not have standards set in place that can revoke an RTO's licence to operate for working with the nefarious brokers.

However ASQA boss Christopher Robinson told the hearing new standards to stop RTOs "gaming the system" will take effect from April 1 next year.

He estimated up to 10 per cent, or about 400, were operating with brokers in a "worrying" manner.